


Noir Bar Shorts

by ErikTheShed



Category: Non-Fandom - Fandom
Genre: Bar, Erotic, Extortion, Flirting, Gore, Sexual, Short Story, Teasing, Torture, amature author, mafia, mercenary, noir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:35:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22743355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErikTheShed/pseuds/ErikTheShed
Summary: This is a series of short stories I've done the past year or so. I've also been working on a real series but it doesn't have more than maybe 2 chapters (book sized chapters) and would like to have more than just a few pages before posting. Anywho, this is a collection where even I could see my own work change as I got a little better at writing. Hopefully you people here will enjoy this original content.
Kudos: 3





	Noir Bar Shorts

**Part I: The last breath**

The phone rings, a private landline that goes into the lady’s office in the very back of her bar.

She’s there to pick it up and lets out a soft sigh into the receiver before speaking “Noir bar, Alyanah speaking.”

“The lady herself?” a british voice replies to her, and it didn’t take more than those three words for her to know exactly who it is on the other end of the line.

Alyanah can’t help but smile a bit as she softens her voice in a seductive way and speaks again “Murrrrdoc, it has been too long already. What do I owe the pleasure darling?”

A shiver runs down her spine as the line goes silent for a second, then two.

“Table for two, I’m bringing a guest.” Murdoc simply says, as if he hadn’t even heard her, and it irritates her but she hides it in her voice well, and she understood what he was ordering. “Only the best table for you, darling.” and before she can say any more he hangs up on her.

Another sigh escapes the lady, the owner of the Noir Bar, a bar named so after her own taste and fondness for black and white. If everything was in black and white the world would be a simpler place. The lady herself is middle hight, raven black hair with a white patch on her right front side. Eyes are golden and her skin is pale, make-up consists of black lipstick and black eyeshadow. Usually while at work she wears fine pinstripe pants and vest in black, a white shirt and some fancy shoes, usually different shoes every day.

“Work calls I guess.” she gets up and leaves her office and walks out into the bar area where her customers are drinking, chatting and listening to the live music from the band she had recently hired for a few performances. A fine place for those who have class and wish the best in their glass and the fine tunes to set the mood.

“We are closing early, ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the inconvenience but please finish your drinks and leave Noir within the next five minutes.”

The Noir Bar has plenty rumors circulating it, and especially about its owner, so it does not take more than her kind words to have the customers drink up and head for the door and indeed within five minutes the bar is completely empty.

Ray, responsible for security and staff, is the only one left. He is rather tall with a bronze tan, muscles stretching his shirt at the sleeves at times and a dark gray set of hair and beard. She knows him very well since they practically grew up together. He does not speak much unless he has something to say and doesn’t seem too scary, but he has thrown out troublemakers twice his size with ease, broken bones and scared off wannabe gangsters in this town whenever they come to try and have them pay for “protection”.

The only people she pays is the Gagiano family, which are the biggest one and the only one to worry about in this city.

The Gagianos are to be respected if you want to have any kind of establishment. Alyanah has had her run-ins with them but luckily she managed to land on their good side, offering a variety of services to them for their more private matters.

The sun is slowly lowering on the sky, Alyanah is staring out the window with her arms crossed, swaying back and forth on her heels. Casting a glance at the clock and then to Ray who is wiping off the counter. Ray is wearing a black shirt, white vest and black jeans even though Alyanah would have prefered suit pants, but she gave him some leeway, he deserved it, as long as it was dark enough in color. The man was strangely good with customers considering he barely spoke a word to any of them, his voice was dark and rough and could easily be intimidating, perhaps that was why.

The door swings open and the classiest man Alyanah had ever met stands in the doorframe, adjusting his custom glasses on his nose and lets out a long stream of smoke from his thin cigar.

All she could see was his frame, a slight glare from his cigar, reflecting light in the glasses and his eyes, those soul piercing eyes that caught her off guard every damn time she looked into them. Perhaps he knew how he affected her, that he intimidates and attracts her to the very core.

“Murdoc darling.” she manages to force out without seeming like some dumbstruck girl.

“I’ve been waiting, everything is ready for you and your guest in the back rooms.” she flashes a smile, eyes half lidded and her tongue brushing over her lips.

Murdoc looks around the place. “My guest is lacking the ability to walk in himself.” Murdoc says in a slightly bored tone before he looks to Ray and simply snaps his fingers and points at the man is seems to be unconscious sitting against the wall behind him. Murdoc walks in and through the space between himself and Alyanah, stopping before her and takes her hand “Thank you for having me on such short notice.” his lips grazes the back of her hand.

“The pleasure is all mine, though I wish I’d get to enjoy your company outside of business.” she grins at him but he only replies with an eyeroll and turns his attention away from her..

“Perhaps your muscle over there can bring in the guest.” Murdoc says and walks to the back room where he has spent his afternoons and evenings before on occasions.

Ray narrows his eyes at Murdoc and then glances at Alyanah “I know I know, but just do it Ray.” she says to him in a strict voice. He lets out a sigh and complies however.

For a long time now, Alyanah has offered her services to the Gagiano family, though she didn’t expect them to use her offer for what they had. Ruthless interrogations, business meetings, dining events for smaller gatherings and certain things in between.

The lady was nothing if not ruthless herself, having even had to help with some of the interrogations from time to time to prove her loyalty to them. The thought of blood streaming down her hands and arms had become a bit of a fetish for her, one she liked to indulge in every now and then which was how the rumors of her being a literal man-eater had started.

Murdoc had chosen which service he needed for the afternoon, it was still too early to call it evening since the sun was still above the city.

Ray brought the sleeping or possibly knocked out man into the chosen room and proceeded to chain his wrists and ankles which then were locked to the ground and his wrist chains hung up on a hook hanging from the ceiling. The so called guest didn’t seem to be in the best of shapes, but if Murdoc of all people had brought him here then he must have done something bad or possibly knew something.

Murdoc wasn’t one to waste his time on things, he was a man of quicker solutions unless it was necessary.

Ray left after Murdoc gave him a little nod, barely tipping his head and then waved his hand, gesturing for Ray to leave.

“Will you be needing anything else, darling?” The lady asks the classy man whom was wearing an exquisite attire consisting of a black striped deep purple shirt, a black vest, necktie and designer shoes. She always felt underdressed compared to him but she wasn’t too shabby herself, normally making sure to dress to impress so to speak. Preferring outfits which showed her ample curves.

Murdoc was not someone anyone would look at just once either, being so tall that he could look down at just about anyone and Alyanah always took in how he would look at her with those green eyes through his glasses, which she was very fond of and would have loved to try herself to see how she pulled off custom glasses like those.

Shaking unneeded thoughts from her head she repeats herself incase she hadn’t actually spoken out loud the first time “Will you be needing anyth-...” he holds up a hand to have her stop talking. “Wake him, get him to talk.” is all Murdoc says, in a demanding tone. The lady nods to him and places a hand on her hip as she walks over to a table and pulls out a roll of plastic aprons, unbuttons and removes her vest and pulls a plastic apron over her head with a sigh and looks down at herself “Transparent is not quite to my taste, unless I was wearing even less under it.” She winks at Murdoc, but no reaction from him. “Want one?” she holds the roll out to him but he just puffs out a stream of smoke and folds his arms, taking a seat in one of the chairs which might be a little out of place considering the actions taking place in the room.

Murdoc stares at the guest he brought “That man has sold information he should not have, and I’d like to know who, when and where.” The thought that someone would betray them was scary enough as it is, but to be face to face with Murdoc and not spill the beans? Alyanah knew this would be messy, to say the least.

This traitor however, would not scare so easily and even though Murdoc would have liked to simply put a bullet down the man's throat he thought he should at least try to drag something out of him.

This could easily be a test of Alyanah’s loyalty to the Gagianos, checking to see if she is still an obedient server to be called upon whenever it suited them.

She knew her place in this world, she was not to sit at the top, or even on the stairs leading to the top, but she didn’t need it either. Content with her current life and in no way wishing to ruin it by going against an unstoppable force, like Murdoc who was eyeing her as she hit a button on a small music player at the same table with the tools.

“Why music?” Murdoc asks but there was no real interest in the question, just brief curiosity. She turns to him and shrugs “Music is magical, it can set the mood or tone for a room regardless of what’s going on or what’s about to happen. I am about to get intimate with this fellow, so why not set the mood.” she smiles a half smile and presses play. Smooth jazz starts playing from the tiny speaker.

Alyanah undresses the man completely, using a knife to cut the clothes off of him leaving him completely nude.

“Is that needed?” Murdoc asks.

“It causes more stress on the mind to be nude, even on a subconscious level. Ever had a dream about being in public naked?” she looks over to him.

“No.” Murdoc simply replies and Alyanah seems a little surprised but at the same time not too much.

“Well it works, gets people to panic easier and want to get out of the situation. Not to mention it gives easier access.” she smirks a little before gripping the man's family jewels and squeezes enough to wake him.

A deep pained groan trembles from the man chained up by his wrists, he tries his legs but they are chained to the floor. He is stretched out like a piece of meat hanging from the roof, ready for carving.

Alyanah casually sharpens a knife while he wakes, her golden eyes glancing to him as he asks her where the hell he is and who the fuck she is. She gives no reply to him but when he calls her a bitch, she can’t help but smile.

“She will be taking care of you.”, Murdoc seems to have some sense of humor. His words strikes the man, and he finally spots the well dressed man across the room, seated in a chair in the back with his legs crossed casually. Quickly noticing there are no windows at all in the room.

The music starts playing a bit louder, a saxophone and piano in harmony and a bass line trembling below in a beat. Alyanah seems to be swaying her head to the beat while placing each and every tool in its respective place on the little silver tray. A hammer and chisel, however the chisel has a blunt end instead of a flat one.

She walks over to the man and looks up at him with the smile still plastered on her face,

“Care to tell me your name?” she asks in a bit too sweet a voice.

“C-carmine, what is this?” his voice barely holding up, throat must be rather dry from the sound of his vocals.

Alyanah turns towards Murdoc but stops herself and figures he’s not in the mood for telling the whole story.

“Carmine, you’ve done something that this fine gentleman behind me disliked and you will now answer who else knows.”

“Knows what? I haven’t done anything! Let me go!” he tests the chains again but to no effect, the panic is starting to seep into him and it took him this long to notice he was completely nude.

“The fuck are my clothes at?!” he shouts and tugs hard on the chains again, glaring at Alyanah, whom is still completely calm, and even still moving slightly to the music playing beside her.

“It’s no use denying anything Carmine, -he- wouldn’t be here if this was some mistake, believe me.” She sighs a little and runs a hand over his chest, he tries to wriggle away from her but can’t get too far away from her after all.

“What are you doing? Why do you have those?” he looks at the hammer and blunted chisel in her other hand.

“There it is, the fifth vertebrosternal rib, it’s located perfectly and trust me I’ve had my trials and errors. I’m no doctor but I’ve read up on some things for situations like these. Some call it dumb, considering I need you to talk but people are very capable of talking despite having a punctured lung.” she talks while running two fingers over the mentioned rib on Carmine. She then placed the blunt chisel against the front of his rib and smacks it with the hammer, Carmine screams and coughs.

Murdoc checks his clock and lets his eyes travel over Carmine’s shaking body, he rarely enjoy torture. But Alyanah seemed to have a touch for the artistic and he kept watching, tiny bit interested in her plans for the traitorous piece of meat hanging in the room.

“F-fucking bitch! You broke my rib!” Carmine shouts and growls at her.

“Not yet, probably slightly fractured though, but we’ll surely get there. Now, who did you talk to Carmine? Just tell us and this will end.”

“Go to hell! I did nothing!”

Alyanah sighs and before Carmine can move to avoid it, the chisel and hammer snaps the same rib but further back closer to his spine. He screams and shakes again, but this time the shaking stops a lot quicker. The bone in his chest is causing him some discomfort to say the least.

“Now I broke your rib. Still don’t want to talk? It’s all the same to me, but for you it’s only going to get worse and I don’t think Murdoc will wait forever either.” She nods her head towards the classy man still leaning on the wall, those pale green eyes gleaming and a thin stripe of smoke lifting from his cigar.

“O-ok! I...I told Chuck O’Leer about Murdoc’s buddy’s schedule with some girl. They were interested in Murdoc’s friend... That’s all! I swear!”

“How do we know that’s all? Or if it’s even true?” the lady asks the traitor.

“Why would I come up with something like that!? And fuck those guys! I’m not gonna die for their sake! Go torture them instead lady, please, just let me down….” he stifles a sob to keep his male pride.

It seems Carmine realized he wouldn’t get out of here alive if he didn’t cooperate, he has both pain and panic in his eyes, shivering from the rushing agony in his chest.

Alyanah looks over to Murdoc for some sort of reaction, but nothing. He didn’t even move when his so-called buddy was mentioned.

Alyanah perks a brow, asking him a question without words and he blinks slowly in reply.

The lady’s eyes gleam like his before she turns back to poor Carmine, the song on the music player changes and the tune is more aggressive than the first song that played.

“Thank you very much for that Carmine, would you like some help with the pain now?” She asks him, again a bit too sweet in her voice. He of course nods, begging to be let down from his chains.

Alyanah places her hands on each side of his chest and leans against him with her chest, looking up at him as if in love with him. Eyes soft and golden, her breath warm against his bare chest and he couldn’t be more confused, however primal instincts tell him what she has in mind. He was very wrong.

A loud scream, turning into a gurgle and cough as Alyanah pressed hard with her fingers at the loose piece of bone in his chest, forcing the splintered tip into his lung, puncturing it.

His lung is starting to fill with blood and his breaths get shorter as he starts to panic more and more with every second that passes.

“Th-the fuck lady!? I did what you told me to! I told you what I did!” he pants, more and more.

“What m-more do I gotta do?! Please let me the fuck down!” he can’t keep his crying back anymore. His eyes water up as his body goes into full panic as he is starting to lack air.

“Oh I don’t believe I ever promised you’d leave here alive honey, but I will gladly give you a hand…” her voice seductive and yet toxic. She leans up to him, her lips almost brushing against his but then he stops being able to breath all together. He gags and tries to suck in air but, her fingers are tightly wrapped around his throat.

Murdoc leans forward a little in the chair and watches closely, he even shows half a smile. Alyanah is choking Carmine with both hands, his eyes turning red, saliva running down his cheek which Alyanah licks at and lets out a satisfying moan “Mmmmhh god I don’t know why but I love the sound of that and how glistening your eyes turn when you can’t breath.” she lets go of him and he instantly inhales but instead his mouth is filled with blood which shot up from his lung.

Blood is pooling in his mouth and he wants to spit it out and try to find air. Pressure is building up in his head and chest, he needs to breath...just one inhale of air, his soul for just one inhale.

Leaning forward to spit out the blood but he’s stopped, Alyanah is on him again, this demoness sicked on him by the Gagiano family. His mouth is filled again, but not with blood, but with a tongue.

The lady is kissing him, and deeply. She can taste the warm, crimson liquid in his mouth, her tongue bathes in it. It finally came forth, her fixation on blood, her fetish for it. The taste, the smell, the look and feel of it. Alyanah enjoyed every second of it.

“Mmmh...” she sighs after leaning back and pulling Carmine by his hair forward so the blood from his mouth can empty out. Like vomiting blood, draining it out and finally catching a breath, a half staggering and still bloodied inhale, but an inhale nonetheless. 

“P-please….l-let me go…” Carmine speaks, his voice rough and barely understandable through coughs and gags.

“No.” she simply replies and leans up and kisses him swiftly on his cheek, he can’t resist in any way.

His eyes bulge and he twitches again, once more air is being taken from him but this time it’s not only the blood pooling in his lung again. Alyanah is squeezing the life out of him again, both hands tightening on his throat.

Carmine thrashes against the chains but to no avail, and it does not take long before he hangs limp in Alyanah’s grip.

A slow clap echoes lightly through the room, she turns around, blood spots on her plastic apron and her lips and cheeks are smudged in blood. Murdoc is applauding her, in a rather sarcastic manner “How droll…” he says and stops clapping.

Later, both Alyanah and Murdoc leave the room.

“I’ll clean him up later, unless you want to take him?” she looks at Murdoc, her plastic apron has multiple specks of blood and a small drop on her cheek which she hasn’t seemed to notice.

“I have no need of him, I got what I needed.” Murdoc mutters and sighs a little.

The lady nods at the him “I’ll take care of it.”

The plastic apron goes into a white trash bin in the room next to the one they came from. Straightening her clothes a little she looks herself over and gives Murdoc a smile “So nothing else I can help you with today, darling? How about a drink? Or perhaps a dance, I do love this song.” she smirks at him as the song Nice & Easy by Frank Sinatra starts playing. Each room has speakers which can be turned on so there is music in every room in her establishment.

She can’t help but swing her hips a little, slowly from side to side in rhythm with the tune.

Murdoc looks at her, he steps closer to her and Alyanah can almost feel her cheeks turning a little red as she expects him to take her up on said dance, but instead he wipes her cheek with a handkerchief “You missed a spot.” He folds the handkerchief neatly and pockets it, making very sure the blood won’t stain his clothes from the handkerchief.

“Have a nice evening, my dear..” he says in a slightly soft tone for once. She can’t help but to bite her lip a bit.

She watches him walk out into the bar area, the sun was lower and set a fiery color to the city, lining every feature on Murdoc as he shows her his back, his frame glowing in the doorway.

The fire colors of the sky paint the thin clouds and small spots of sunlight kiss his cheeks before he closes the door himself and walks out into the city, at this magical hour when it looks like an ocean of fire.

  
  
  


**Part II: The Diner**

The piano string is tightening around the throat, harder and harder until the skin breaks under the pressure and starts to bleed. A line of crimson runs down his throat and stains his shirt, the red spot growing bigger and bigger.

Murdoc lets out a little groan of satisfaction as the man stops flailing and kicking the counter at the diner this murder is taking place.

The string loosens and the man falls forward and face down into his plate of eggs and bacon, Murdoc takes out his handkerchief and slides the string inside it to wipe the blood off before coiling it neatly up and placing it back in its respective spot on his outfit.

“I accept your apology…” Murdoc speaks and turns around to see the diner mostly emptied out, except for a deaf cook and the older woman waitress looking in slight horror but seems to know better than to start screaming.

“W-would you...like a r-refill on the c-coffee sir?” she asks in a shaky voice.

\---------An hour or so earlier--------

“We need to meet. I just came from the Noir Bar and got some information you should hear.” he rolls his eyes a bit “I do not like diners like that, they are filthy and-....” he simply sighs and hangs up.

Murdoc’s friend isn’t good with being told no on even the simplest things and completely ignores anyone else other than himself, unless there is a female involved.

Murdoc arrives at the diner where they were to meet up, apparently they have pancakes to die for. But Murdoc is not interested in eating at such an open and public place, never know who sat in the chair or if they were even wearing pants half the time. It looked greasy even from the outside but the one on the phone had insisted….or rather didn’t take the no for an answer and had hung up.

“What can I get ya deary?” The older woman asks Murdoc, she eyes him up and down and perks a brow. What was such a classy dressed man doing at a dump like this anyway?

“Cup of coffee, in a -clean- cup.” he doesn’t even look at her as he takes a seat on the corner of the counter and checks his watch once before glancing out the window. He doesn’t want to spent a single second in here more than needed.

The woman rolls her eyes at his somewhat snarky order but has done her job for long enough to not give any lip back if she intends to get any tip.

After a few minutes, a few too many for Murdoc, a man walks in and shakes himself a bit, almost like a dog would coming out of the rain, but it wasn’t raining. Murdoc instantly took notice, he was dirty looking, whom also had the nerve to come and sit just two seats away from him.

Murdoc checks his clock again while the wet dog orders some coffee, eggs and bacon.

The TV above the counter is showing a crime scene investigation, the reporter mentions someone was brutally taken from his car by a man on foot with blond hair, glasses and a purple shirt.

The dog man looks at the TV and then glances at Murdoc, but shrugs, clearly thinking Murdoc is too pompous and neat looking to be able to do anything dangerous.

Eating his food, the dirty looking man asks the waitress for a refill on his coffee and swings his cup around in the air to get her attention, but the remaining drop inside runs up the side of the cup and shoots into the air and lands on Murdoc’s shirt cuff, leaving a nasty spot.

Murdoc turns around slowly and sets his icy eyes on the guy responsible.

“Apologize..”

“What was tha’?” he looks at Murdoc confused.   
“I said, apologize. You spilled coffee on my shirt, apologize.” Murdoc repeats himself with a chilling tone of voice.

“Look mate, it’s just a spot of coffee, don’t get your knickers in a twist alrigh’?”

Murdoc closes his eyes and lets out a sigh, a rather frustrated one at that.

“I said, apologize.” once more repeating himself, Murdoc has turned fully to the man now and isn’t looking too happy, not that he was to begin with.

“And I said, piss off...or I’ll give ye a thrashing ye snobby cunt.” the guy snorts and turns slowly away to continue eating, as if Murdoc is no threat to him.

Murdoc gets out of his chair and neatly rolls up the stained cuff along with the sleeve just to his elbow, then he repeats this with the other sleeve. He walks away from the counter, the guy thinking he is leaving just mutters in a low tone “Atta boy, get outa here.” 

That was the last words the overconfident man was able to word ever again as the piano string tightened around his throat and cut off his air and blood.

  
  
  


**Part III: The payment**

It's late in the evening already and the bar is full of people. Alyanah watches her guests from the bar having propped herself on one of the high chairs and sipping a glass of wine.

She keeps glancing at the door though, she knows someone is bound to show up sooner or later, especially considering she hasn't sent the monthly payment to the Gagiano family this month, on purpose.

Her establishment is only left standing for her to do as she pleases, mostly, because she makes the monthly payment to the family who owns and runs the entire city. She is really asking for trouble by not paying them.

Alyanah casts a glance over towards Ray, the bigger than big man playing the piano and he sends her a warning glance back before the music stops. Alyanah notices Ray is glancing at the door too now and isn't looking away. Ray looks alert but not worried. Alyanah follows Ray's gaze and sees him, standing in the doorway, Murdoc.

Murdoc is one of the Gagiano family enforcers so to speak.

Alyanah grins widely, she was hoping he would be the one to show up, and he has.

The tall mafia enforcer takes his overcoat off and hangs it up at the entrance.

Each step he takes sounds like it could start an earthquake and Alyanah watches him closely. Ray however is staring at them both and just sighs, he tells the waitress’ to take a break, and his eyes alone tell Alyanah to please just get a room with Murdoc already.

"Let's talk in my office, shall we?" Alyanah says with a big smile on her face and turns her back to Murdoc, leading him into the back and to her office.

"Why haven't you paid?" Murdoc's voice sounds bored, like he barely can bother to be here at all. He was probably ordered to deal with Alyanah, since her little crush on Murdoc is far from secret.

She is attracted to Murdoc, but Murdoc is not to her, or to anyone. Maybe that is why Alyanah loves to tease him, trying to break through his boredom of such physicality. A challenge....

She doesn't answer his question, instead she walks over to her desk and grabs a crystal bottle and two glasses, placing the glasses on a small table in the room and starts pouring.

"Why haven't you paid?" He repeats himself and ends it with a sigh.

"How else am I to get a visit from you darling? You barely ever show up anymore." she looks over her shoulder and winks at him, finishing pouring the two drinks.

Murdoc seems sick of the games and tries a new tactic to deal with the lady. He grabs her arm and pins it on her back, pushing her forward with his hips. The table rattles hard and one of the drinks spill.

Alyanah is taken quite by surprise, a strong blush grows on her cheeks as she lifts a knee up on the table to support herself on top of it.

"Oh dear...this is...unexpected..."

He leans close to her ear, she can feel the powerful muscles in his arms and his chest, and oh his chest....heaving strongly against her back, glowing of heat and sheer power.

"Vous avez trois secondes pour répondre à ma question"

Alyanah is shook to her core, every word like velvet against her ear, she knew he spoke french but had no idea it sounded so enticingly.

"Why the rush...? I kinda like where this is going..." she bites her lip before her tongue slips past them and she smiles wickedly over her shoulder.

"Paiement à l'avance, et je le ferai valoir votre temps." he replies with that deep and smooth voice of his. How the hell can a woman resist?

"Oui monsieur..." Alyanah managed to answer, her french isn’t flawless, but she gets by easily when she visited Paris, which she does once in a while.

"The payment is in my top drawer...now what do you have in mind for me?" she asks, expectantly, hoping she has finally cracked him.

The bastard drops her like a sack of potatoes, gets the payment from the drawer and strides for her door, he grabs the handle, turns to Alyanah whom is sitting on the little table with eyes narrowing at him.

"Always a pleasure my dear, have a pleasant evening.." Then he walks out and closes the door behind himself.

"That....british...french speaking....uuugh...one day..." she groans to herself and adjusts her shirt which had popped a few buttons.

"I'll get him sprawled on my desk one day even if it costs me my bar." she grins to herself and walks out into the bar where customers had started returning in after Murdoc had left.

"Ray! Cover the bar for a while, I'm suddenly in the need of a brisk walk...."

  
  
  


**Part IV: The song**

The bar is teeming with customers, the drinks are flowing, lips are wetting and the money is streaming in. The expensive drinks at the Noir Bar are being tapped slow but steady tonight.

Alyanah smiles and looks around the bar, familiar faces, new faces all around in a mixed sea of people of all kinds. Giving a slight nod to Ray who nods to her in return, he seems to be serving an old friend of his named Marcus from the old days when Ray trained and worked with guns for hire. Quite a tall man that one, Alyanah thinks to herself before strolling up to the stage and grabs the microphone.

“I am glad to see so many satisfied patrons at my place tonight, ladies and gentlemen. I thought I would sing tonight for you all so-...”

“How about you take off your clothes instead baby?” someone spoke out loud, and quite drunk sounding as well.

Most of the people around him turned to look at the drunk man in horror, then back to Alyanah, but she was smiling at the drunkard and simply gave a nod to Ray at the bar whom nodded but gave Marcus a look.

The tall man with the crazy hair stood up and really showed how tall he was, walking over to the drunk man still coaxing Alyanah to dance for him and strip. Suddenly silent as he looks up at the mercenary named Marcus with a grin wider than the cheshire cat which made the drunk man swallow hard and seemed to reconsider his words and his current state of mind.

“I-...I meant no offense ma’am. Perhaps I’ve had a few too many and need...some fresh air.” he says while his head lowers. Marcus looks to Alyanah with his hands on his hips, perhaps for further instruction.

After giving it some thought she just shakes her head at Marcus, the man apologized, might as well give him a second chance.

Marcus strolls back over to Ray to continue their conversation about the time Ray was kicking Marcus’ behind trying to teach him hand-to-hand combat.

“At least I’m the better shot.” Marcus says while finishing off his drink, and Ray nods in agreement, no argument on that fact.

Alyanah sang long and loud, her sweet voice flowing over the bar while some muttered conversation kept on in the back. Most of the patrons were enjoying the music and the drinks in their hands, all except for one who was talking loudly on his phone.

The loud guy was again the drunk man, speaking louder and louder on his phone about some business deal that should have already been handled. A person on the table next to him asked him to take the phone call outside or at least further away from the stage which always was the most quiet so people could enjoy the live music.

The drunk man flipped the guy off and spoke louder.

While on stage, Alyanah was trying hard to focus on the singing but her patience was wearing quite thin. Snapping completely when the drunk bastard stood up and shushed her singing.

“Oi! I’m trying to talk on the phone here bitch! Shut your hole!” the man shouts at her and he sits back down.

The music dies, she stops singing, patrons are slowly leaving their tables surrounding the man and Alyanah is walking towards his table.

Ray sends Marcus over to the table as well in case she needs a hand, and when she arrives at the table the man hangs up the phone and just grins at her.

“See? Was that so hard sweetheart?” he keeps that stupid grin on his face.

Marcus walks up behind the guy and folds his arms, awaiting for any kind of instruction from Alyanah, who is slowly spreading a smile on her own face and it is far from a pleasant one, in fact it sends a chill down Marcus’ spine.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave my establishment.” she says almost too sweetly.

“Don’t you know who I am? You don’t tell me shit, go get me another drink woman.” he just snorts back at her and shoves his glass across his table to her.

She has had enough and looks up at Marcus and just nods at him, Marcus needs nothing more as he grabs the man under his arms and lifts him straight up to his feet and start to drag him towards the entrance, the man kicking and screaming still.

“Hey! Don’t you know who I am!? I’ll have you killed for being so disrespectful! Or worse!” he shouts so loud that Marcus grimace.

“Shut your gob ye muppet.” Marcus snarls at him before opening the front doors and throwing him head first out and lands him in the gutters perfectly.

More cursing and yelling, threats left, right and center but eventually the man leaves, swearing he’ll get the bitch back for what she did, holding her responsible.

“He stumbled a bit on his way out.” Marcus says as he comes back inside and smiles at the lady who’s gotten herself back up on stage.

Laughing, Alyanah looks in Ray’s direction and mouths the words “My office, later.” and glances at Marcus. She could definitely find some work for a man like him.

The night dragged out a little longer, but Alyanah was on the stage singing into the microphone with all of her heart like she always does. Music is where she is her most true, though some might say she is her truest self while holding a bloodied knife.

The door swings open and a very familiar face comes into the room and Alyanah misses the beat for a second before catching herself again. Her eyes now locked on the man who entered.

Eyes pale green, hair like rays of sun, dressed like the sharpest and deadliest man in the world and with a gaze to burn a soul to cinder.

“Murrrdoc…” she whispers just out of range for the mic.

Probably here for another monthly payment, he must have been bored since he’s the one who came. Alyanah always loves his visits because she adores teasing him and trying to entice him, but he never falls for it, ever.

A table at the very front suddenly becomes vacant and Murdoc takes a seat at it, giving Alyanah that steel cold look, a look that can only mean business and she bats her eyes softly at him in understanding.

Understanding, however she can’t just walk off stage in the middle of her performance now can she? No, and she won’t.

The band start playing, building up for a final song and Alyanah brings her voice from deep within her. Taking step after step around the mic stand but then detaches the mic and walks towards the crowd.

The song is slow, burning hot and she makes her curves clear with every movement in flow with the vocals and music playing through the room. Every man’s eyes on her, some of the women too, though some women grumpily looking at their men.

The lady walks to one man, sits on his lap, but gets back up after just three syllables of the song.

Again and again, as if looking for the perfect seat for her to claim while singing her song. Man after man, woman after woman getting a feel of her weight on their laps but none for long. Sauntering over to the stage and hops up to sit on the edge of it, crossing her legs wide and slow. Alyanah gazes through the room but then her golden eyes fall upon him, with his unwavering eyes and unimpressed expression. The voice and flowing motions of the lady not having the same hypnotic effect on Murdoc.

Clap, her shoes hitting the floor, clap, a slow step towards him, clap, another, another and she leans forward towards his face, microphone between both her hands as she smiles widely at him and then with one hand pushes his chest lightly to make room for herself on his lap and wiggles herself down comfortably.

Legs crossed and an arm around his neck and shoulders, making sure every man in the bar sends Murdoc a tiny glare, tiny because most know who he is, and Alyanah enjoys herself to the fullest, perhaps a bit too much on Murdoc’s expense.

The song finishes and she stays in his lap, handing the mic to one of the waitresses who brings it back to it’s spot on the stand. Alyanah looks into Murdoc’s eyes and grins softly as she always does with him.

“Hello darling, to what do I owe the pleasure?” she purrs.

“Your office, now.” he replies, cold as ice, almost shoving her off his lap.

She doesn’t waste his time but doesn’t react to his actions with anything other than a light giggle.

The office is well insulated, so the second the door closes, the music and chatter volume is cut in half.

She slowly walks towards her little table of private drinks and looks at Murdoc with an arched brow.

“Care for a drink, darling?” a genuine offer, no games behind it, this time.

Murdoc nods, which she almost finds surprising, he rarely ever accepts a drink. But she pours a glass for him and herself.

He takes a seat on the couch against the side wall with the little table where Murdoc last time had pushed Alyanah over it and implied things in exchange for getting the monthly payment first, such a disappointment for the lady. It ended in her getting so worked up and then left hanging.

“So what can I do for you Murdoc?” she gives him the drink and sits down opposite of him, legs crossed and expectantly.

“Higher ups want another gesture of loyalty, and the payment of course.” he replies and takes a sip. He smiles, and Alyanah’s brow perks slightly from seeing it. Perhaps he likes the drink and that she is actually being somewhat professional for a change.

“What sort of gesture are we talking? Do I need to reserve the private room again?” she smirks a little, referring to the far back room of her bar where only herself, Ray and Murdoc have stepped inside so far, and walked back out.

In this room there have been others to walk in, but never to tell others of what is inside.

“Not quite, this time I will be taking you to a location where you will service the way you do.” he ends his sentence a bit too quick from the looks of it, Alyanah waits for more information but none is given. She doesn’t like the unknown in these situations but lets out a little sigh and nods.

“Alright, if it is necessary to them..”

“It is.”

She leans into her chair and crosses her legs over again, making a point that she isn’t very happy about it, perhaps Murdoc loves seeing her like that because she can’t help but spot another slight smile after he takes another sip of the drink and slides it over the table.

“I’ll be in touch. And have the payment ready. Thank you for the drink.” the last word spoken over his shoulder as he heads for the door.

Alyanah watches him leave, and can’t help but feel that the most dangerous man she’s ever met is showing her his back, because he is not ,what so ever, worried about the lady he has seen do horrible things. This is a man who knows where he stands and where he has others around him. His very presence screams a single word, “Control.”

The lady leans her head back and sighs a little, rubbing her eyes and finishes her drink just before there is a knock at the door. She gets up and opens it to see Marcus standing in the doorway with an unsure look on his face of what’s waiting him inside the office of the boss lady herself.

She offers him a grin and welcomes him inside and shuts the door, but not before just catching a glint of Murdoc’s gaze one last time as he was at the exit door and left.

“Marcus, I think I might have some work for you.” she says turning towards her office.

  
  
  


**Part V: The new fan**

The doorbell chimes as a new customer comes into the little butcher shop. It’s already been a long day and Yelrah just finished packing up some slabs of meat and wiping down the cutting boards before they would go into the washing machine in the back. Yelrah was a slim guy with brown hair and big round glasses, bit of a Harry Potter look if you imagined a scar on his forehead.

The customer strolls up to the counter which still contains quite a few cuts, still fresh, something Yelrah likes to pride himself on.

“Hello there miss, what can I do for you today?” He asks with a big smile on his face and as he adjusts his glasses on his nose.

The lady glances up at him with eyes like a glowing sunset and catches him a bit by surprise, the look isn’t something he sees in his butcher shop often, if at all. She looks like she is staring at a dear friend, but Yelrah can’t for the life of him remember where or when they had ever met before.

“Yes you can honey, I’d like some of that there.” she points without looking at a slab of beef.

“It certainly looks juicy and fresh, despite it being this late in the day.” She adds.

“Why of course! I always make sure my products are in the best conditions for staying as fresh as possible for as long as possible.” Yelrah replies with a hint of pride in his voice.

The lady shows a smile, something that could be quite a sweet sight if not for slight darkness in the depths of her golden eyes.

“Well then if I’m happy with this chunk of meat I’ll be sure to come back for when I need other products of the...meaty kind.” the lady says in a rather soft voice, clearly an adult joke in that sentence. Yelrah however just smiles and nods while he prepares the beef she had ordered, cutting it neatly and packing up perfectly.

The woman can’t help but snicker ever so slightly at the joke that went straight over his head, or perhaps it wasn’t so obvious after all.

“Good gods I need to get out more…” she mutters to herself.

“Pardon miss?” The butcher boy turns to her, hoping he didn’t seem to be ignoring her while he worked. He holds the meat pack in his hand and places it on the counter before moving over to the register.

“Oh nothing at all honey, just mumbling to myself. So what do I owe?”

All registers make the same kinds of sounds, all of which just shouts  _ cash _ in our minds.

The lady pays and smiles rather pleased with the service from the looks of it, she even takes an extra look around but she doesn’t seem to interested to buy anything else today.

“A-anything else you need miss?” 

“Not today I think, but I do think I’ll be back. This place seems clean and neat, nice quality of meat too. So since you’ll be seeing more of me, my name is Alyanah and I run the Noir Bar down the street from here.” the lady gives a much warmer smile than before, not that the prior was cold but there was something...unfriendly about it perhaps.

“Oh! Well it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Alyanah, I’m Yelrah.” he smiles chipperly.

“Drop the miss, just Alyanah is fine, or even Aly as most call me….unless they work for me.” she winks a bit at him and giggles and he chuckles back.

“Anywho, I should get back, got an hour before I’m needed on the stage.” she picks up the pack from the counter and puts it in her little shopping bag, perhaps she was out strolling for new shops.

“On stage? In a bar?” he tilts his head to the side a little, making him have to readjust his little glasses on his nose again.

“Ah, yes, I have a small music stage in my bar and I am one of the main singers.” She seems a bit proud as she speaks of her bar. Perhaps everyone is about their own business’.

“Oh that sounds amazing, perhaps I could come and listen to you sometime.” Yelrah says.

“You should honey, I have quite a sweet voice, and I’ll even buy you a drink.” she winks at him and turns towards the door, her hips swaying rather elegantly.

The doorbell chimes again and Alyanah stops in the doorway and sends him a grin “It’s not polite to stare at a lady’s ass like that you know.” her words like a summer breeze, Yelrah flushes a bit “Wh-...I wasn’t! I mean…” he fumbles a bit, he really wasn’t looking at her rear, at least he didn’t think he was, or maybe he was.

Alyanah does not seem offended however and just giggles as she walks through the doorway and out of sight, a small wave just before vanishing completely.

“She was quite something.” Yelrah says and chuckles his embarrassment off.

“I really should get this place in order so I can close. And...maybe catch her performance tonight.”

Yelrah gets busy cleaning up and tidying the place before lights off and locking the door.

Not everyday you meet someone new and interesting, and Alyanah seems like she could liven things up a bit, and this bar of hers sounds like it’s worth a visit too.

Yelrah decides to go home and freshen up before heading out again, for perhaps a drink and a show.

The bar looks nice from the outside, Yelrah walks inside and spots a seat by the bar where the bartender seems to be rather bored. Leaning on his elbow and resting his chin in his hand.

Yelrah approaches the bartender and clears his throat a little to get his attention, and he does. The bartender stands up, quite tall and bigger than he looked, however he puts on a small smile, the kind that tells you that he is happy to have something to do.

“Welcome to the Noir Bar, what can I get you?” the silver haired bartender asks.

“What do you recommend?” Yelrah replies with a smile.

“I’m horrible at suggesting drinks buddy, I just pour and sometimes mix successfully.” the bartender snickers a bit and then something catches his attention to his left.

“He’s not wrong you know.” Alyanah giggles as she comes out from her office, having just overheard the conversation before making her presence known to them both.

“Ray here is eye candy and security for the most part.” she adds with another giggle, earning herself a bit of a grunt but also an eyeroll from Ray. He then turns back to Yelrah and nods his head in greeting as Alyanah presented his name.

Yelrah can’t help but chuckle at the little bit of banter he got to witness, hoping it was not something rare to witness around here, and something told him that it wasn’t.

A few glances around the place and the butcher boy could tell that there weren’t too many employees here in this bar. Seeing one waitress, Ray the bartender, Alyanah the manager and singer and...a girl in a hoodie sitting behind the counter blowing bubblegum and taptaptapping away at her laptop. The hooded girl lifts her head long enough for Yelrah to see she isn’t too old looking, perhaps too young to be in a bar, but he thinks better of asking, and she could not look less interested in him anyway.

The bubblegum pops and almost covers her face but she doesn’t react at all to it, just slowly picks it off her face and keeps chewing and blows another one as she turns back to her laptop.

“Seems quite lively in here tonight miss Alyanah, and I’m hoping I didn’t miss out on your singing tonight.” he asks while still not having gotten anything to drink.

The lady smirks while handling some bottles behind the bar and nods to him “You haven’t honey, don’t you worry. And here’s that drink I promised you.” she says as a glass comes sliding down the counter and stops by Yelrah. He chuckles and takes the glass, nodding with appreciation “Thank you, my lady.”

The drink was new, tasteful and exotic, perhaps one of Alyanah’s personals he thought to himself while watching his surroundings in the bar.

People all over the place, some seeming to have been drinking a bit too long but all seemed to behave quite well mannered in this establishment.

A microphone is tapped on and all eyes turn towards the stage. Ray has vanished from the bar and is sitting by the big piano at the stage while Alyanah is looking at the crowd and gently holding the microphone in one hand.

“Welcome to all, old and new faces, and a special welcome to my new friend Yelrah. The meat you gave me today was very tasty and so very juicy.” she gets that grin again, showing her wickedness, while Yelrah is flustered beyond belief as the entire crowd turns his way and some gasping towards him.

“Calm down everyone, he runs a very lovely little butcher shop down the street. Jeez, such dirty minds in here tonight. Just how I like it of course. But enough of jokes, I want to sing.” 

It’s been quite a while since Yelrah enjoyed himself at a bar, and one he went to by himself no less.

The music was live, soft and the rhythm was pleasant and in tune to the environment of the bar. Alyanah had quite a nice voice, and every once and again she kept looking at Yelrah with a smile, making sure he was enjoying himself.

After another song she announced she’d take a break, and in which she skipped over to the bar and mixed herself and Yelrah another drink, this time a different one than the first one.

Alyanah rests her chest over her forearms leaning on the bar, her cleavage really testing the buttons on her shirt. She seems to try, and rather enjoys to, get a reaction out of Yelrah, or maybe just anyone looking at her.

“So how do you like my bar honey?” she asks and tips her head to the side with curiosity.

With a big smile he replies “You certainly have earned yourself a new fan, that’s for sure! And I think I’ll be spending more evenings here from now on.”

Their glasses clink together suddenly and Alyanah laughs cheerfully “I always enjoy hearing that.” she hops over the counter and leans closer to him, invading his personal space.

“Though there is something I have to tell you Yelrah.” she says in a low whisper, leaning closer.

Yelrah gulps a little at the closeness, their eyes locking for a moment “Y-yes?” 

Alyanah leans even closer, their noses almost touching “If you’re going to keep staring at me like that, at least learn how to do it more subtly, honey. Someone might mistake you for a pervert if you don’t.” She snickers and leans back again, patting his head softly.

What else can he do but laugh and nod, while of course turning a soft shade of pink once more.

  
  
  


**Part VI: The late arrival**

“It’s not like Yelrah to be this late. I rarely accept tardiness but this is getting ridiculous.” Alyanah huffs while folding her arms looking at her clock.

Ray shrugged his shoulders and just sighed, Alyanah, however, is getting frustrated from waiting so long for Yelrah to arrive with a turkey she had ordered from him.

Yelrah runs a meat shop and told her he could get her a good turkey for a good price. Alyanah and Ray knew they would be more than late for any sort of Thanksgiving dinner, but they just wanted to host a dinner for some friends, and Yelrah too was invited.

Alyanah paces back and forth as the clock start getting close to an hour past the agreed upon delivery time. Dinner isn’t until the next day, but a deal is a deal, and he is late.

“Marcus!” The boss lady shouts, and sure enough, a mop of white dreadlocks pop up from behind the counter “Wha’!? We’re in the middle of a game!” the tall man shout back to her.

“Get your butt over here, this is more important than you beating Switch in battleship.”

He sigh audibly and got to his feet, walking around the bar counter and looks at Alyanah. The bar manager have to tilt her head upwards to catch his gaze “Yelrah was supposed to be here an hour ago, I want you to go and check his store. I’m starting to think something has gone wrong, and if he’s just late and hasn’t texted me...you’re allowed to smack him once.” Alyanah is not amused or trying to be funny, she really want Marcus to hit Yelrah if he is just being tardy.

Marcus smirk a bit and nods “A chance to smack a guy? Yes please.” he grins and grabbed his things and headed out.

It is a brisk evening outside, Marcus is glad he has his signature coat on, he never goes anywhere without it unless it was just too damn warm out.

As he approached the meat shop Yelrah owns, he noticed that the door is closed and the closed sign is up. It is past closing time so that is normal, but as he glance inside he sees a sliver of light coming from the back door inside the shop.

“Huh…” he tilts his head and then notices how meat is still on display too, it will go bad if he left it out like that for each day.

Next, he decided to check the door, it is open. Things are definitely off here, so he went inside and silently closed the door behind himself.

“You are going to pay double for that you little shit!” a voice from the back yells.

Sneaking himself closer to the back door, Marcus can make out two separate voices coming from the room, as well as a muffled groan.

The door just open just enough for him to peek inside, and there he sees a rather huge man bent over a counter with blood running down his arm from a horrible cut in his right shoulder, another thug glaring at Yelrah who is tied to a chair with a cloth tied around his mouth.

Perking a brow, Marcus start putting the scene together, even spotted a meat-cleaver on the floor across the room. These thugs are from some gang, perhaps new to this city, and is trying to force Yelrah to pay protection money, and when he had refused he had thrown or swung a blade at the big one in an attempt to get out. 

Seems things hadn’t gone to the little butcher’s plans, however.

No matter how Marcus looks at this, he know for certain that the thugs won’t leave even if he says please, not that he ever would, so instead he slowly draws his dual guns and gets ready to scare the living shit out of the two newbie gangsters.

This town already has owners, and no little shits like this will ever be anything other than bugs under the big guy’s boots.

One last glance, Marcus cocks a gun, then the other, silently. The door gets a solid kick “Evenin’ dickhea-...” he kicks the door so hard it swings shut in his face.

Slowly opening the door again, the tall armed Marcus not looking pleased at all that his epic entrance got ruined.

The thugs look at each other and then to Marcus. The big one charge at him but is put down with a single shot to the face, the other one lost three fingers and got a new hole in his ear which makes him flail backward to a safe distance away from Yelrah who’s sat in his chair with wide eyes, or eye, the other one is swollen shut from the beating they have given the poor guy.

“Right then, as I was saying, good evenin’ dickhead,” Marcus says in half a snarl to the bastard crying his lungs out at his missing digits and ear hole.

Strolling around the big one and aiming one gun at the other, Marcus holsters one gun and glance at Yelrah while clicking his tongue “Well this aint’ good now is it? Don’t you know who runs this city? You’re just a little piss-ant, you’re lucky I was the one who found you and not the lady of this area, she woulda eaten you alive! LITERALLY!” Marcus chuckles loudly at the thought, knowing he spoke the truth as well.

“Y-you can’t touch me! Do you know who I work for?!” the thug tries his best to put on a tough face, but fails horribly.

“You’re gonna run back to the shithead you think is your big bad boss, and tell him to get the fuck out before I make a personal visit to him. I am extremely good with guns, and I love using them, so please don’t tempt me to leave this whole thing open-ended, alright? I need you to deliver that message, right?” Marcus nods at himself and gives the thug a rough kick in the side “Get goin’!”

After the thug had left, Marcus unties Yelrah. “Thank you, so much Marcus, I thought those two would….kill me….or worse.” he bows his head to his savior, but Marcus just shrugs.

“You better get that turkey to Aly, she’s been waiting long enough don’t you think?” Marcus says, slightly bored that the action is already over.

“Y-yes, of course,” Yelrah replies and gets the turkey, not thinking he had time to even clean himself up after hearing that from Marcus.

They arrive at the bar not too long after that, facing an already annoyed Alyanah almost 2 hours after Marcus had left the bar, and seeing Yelrah so beat up and spattered with blood, she almost lost her mind.

“Yelrah?! What the hell happened!?” She shouts at them as if they are children who had missed curfew.

After hearing the full story she just sighs and palms her face gently “Well the important thing is that you’re safe Yelrah, you didn’t have to bring the turkey over when you’re in this bad shape.” she looks him up and down.

“W-well, lady, I thought you’d waited long enough for the turkey,” he mutters meekly, glancing over to Marcus who is the reason he had just left to deliver the turkey.

Marcus, however, is already walking back to Switch to finish the game he was having with her before he left on his little stroll.

Alyanah sighs again and walk over to Yelrah, putting her arms around him, getting some of his blood on her clothes “ As I said, what’s important is that you’re alright honey.” she leans back and smiles at him, then grimace looking at his swollen eye, cuts and bruises.

“You should get that seen to, Leanne is pretty good at playing nurse,” she says and pulls up her phone to send a quick text to the mentioned person.

“Thank you, Alyanah, really. I should get back to my store though, need to clean up and close up.” he lowers his head a little, not wanting to say no to her offer of help. She tilts her head and reaches into his pocket, making him flush brightly for a moment. She pulls out his keys and chucks them at Ray “You go clean and close up his shop Ray.” she orders, not even asking.

Rey rolls his eyes but nods before heading out to do just that.

“Now, you’re staying here to get cleaned up, and to rest.” the lady states, no arguments was implied.

The butcher boy can’t help but smile and even chuckle a little bit, he is so grateful to his friends at this bar. Though she is stubborn and hard headed at times, Alyanah always takes good care of her friends. “Alright Alyanah, I’ll stay.” he smiles.

“You’re always welcome here my dear, and if those bastards show up again, get a message to any one of us here and the cavalry will descend down on those idiots like the four horsemen of the apocalypse,” she says and grins that evil grin that gives Yelrah a deep cold chill down his spine which often tells him that he doesn’t really know exactly what this boss lady is capable off, but at least she is his friend.

**Part VII: The broken table**

“I’d like to order a drink miss.” a stranger says towards Alyanah who happens to be behind the bar counter.

Perking her brow and giving her best seductive smile towards the paying customer, she also leans on the counter making her bust seriously test that top button on her shirt.

“Well what can I get you mister?” she says, sounding down right like a succubus and grinning.

The man clears his throat ever so slightly and looks over his shoulder to make sure no one is too close to him, this also makes the lady know that he is not really here to order a drink, unless her approach is actually making him uncomfortable.

Raymond is cleaning glasses a few feet behind Alyanah, his gold eyes half open but clear and awake of his surroundings. Ray even has an eye resting on the man across the counter from Alyanah.

“Well…?” Alyanah prompts the man, tilting her head a little since he has yet to actually try to order anything.

“I’d like...a special drink. I was told it’s called Wraith’s Lust.” he says, the man is practically sweating.

The lady leans back up but keeps her grin though slightly muted compared to a second ago. “And who was it that suggested the special drink?” perking her brow once again while folding her arms under her heavy chest. Alyanah is busty, and she knows it, and how to use it to her advantage.

“It was Carlon.” he supplies, looking at her to see if the name rings a bell or not, cause if not then he might be in trouble or he will just be left with nothing.

“Aaah Carlon, what a doll.” she smiles a little and looks out into the room. There are eyes on them, but none that mean trouble for her, more for him if anything.

“Well then I have to tell you that Wraith’s Lust is not served to anyone below eighteen or anyone over the age of seventy.” Alyanah says, clearly an underlining conversation going on here.

The man nods slowly and glances around the room again. For gods’ sake, could he be more obvious? She tries not to roll her eyes at how skittish he is acting.

“Well my mother-in-law turns seventy in a week, but she is healthy and a spry old crow. I think she can take it.” the man says and tries on a smile for the first time, still not being able to settle himself properly.

“Sorry, no dice.” Alyanah says and turns to leave, but the man grabs her by the arm and glares a little at her. “Hey, I was told..” he whispers just loud enough for her to hear him “..that you could take care of the old bag. I’m sick and tired of her controlling my marriage and I want her money before she makes me kill myself.” the man snarls at her.

Alyanah has dealt with people like this before.

Wraith’s Lust, code for a job offer and normally it isn’t a code given out easily, how this guy came over it she had no clue. There are few ways to hire Alyanah and her crew; by referral, the code or a phone number which is rarer than the code.

Jobs can be anything from protection to hits, but they have rules for this which were no kids and no elderly.

They often declined jobs that didn’t sit right with someone in the crew and if they protested it would come down to a vote of majority.

Alyanah looks at the hand holding her arm, then slowly lets her gleaming eyes travel up the arm and to the face of the man. She is no longer smiling, but does not look angry either, instead she looks passive and bored.

“Look here honey, you have two choices right now; let go of me, or he will escort you out with a permanent ban to my bar attached.” she speaks in a low tone, cold as ice.

“Who will escort m-...oof!” the man is cut off as a large red haired bear of a man bumps into him from behind and places a hand on his shoulder. The guy behind him probably overtook his hight by a whole head and then some.

“Why don’t you let the nice lady go sir, a lack of manners has no place in here.” the bear man says, smiling as if he’s talking to a child who just got caught stealing cookies.

The hand is weighing heavy on his shoulder and he slowly lets go of the lady’s elbow, she straightens her shirt a little and walks over to the silver haired man still cleaning glasses at the other end. She sends the bear man behind him a glance and nod, basically saying he may do as he pleases with the rude guy.

“Good choice, pal. I would recommend you make for the exit still, you wouldn’t want to overstay your welcome here, am I right?” the large ginger says with still that kind smile on his face. The stranger nods to the large man and slowly makes his way through the bar and leaves.

“Damn Sax, you are the biggest teddy bear in here and still you manage to make guys like him piss themselves. Hah!” Marcus says with a chuckle. He’s sitting on a barstool close to Ray.

“I don’t know what you’re on about Marcus, I was just being friendly wasn’t I?” Sax says and feigns looking wounded deeply. They chuckle a bit before Marcus looks over to Raymond and perks a brow.

“Say mate, you’re a big guy and all, but who of you two are stronger? I mean Ray here looks like a super soldier and all but you’re the bigger guy Sax.” Marcus speaks a bit loud, making sure they both hear, including Alyanah. The lady turns to look at the three knucklehead staff members in her bar. “Interesting question.” She agrees.

Ray looks over to Sax and just shrugs, not even answering more than that. Sax however does, “Well, no offense to Ray but I am the bigger guy and I think I am stronger. I’m quite literally a bear.” the man chuckled and strokes his beard.

Ray stops cleaning the glass and glances at Sax “Your sexuality aside, I’ve never seen you lift a single weight. I’ve worked pretty hard to get strong. I’m not sure you’d come out on top here bud.” this reply gets a good laugh out of Marcus and Alyanah. Alyanah and Marcus glance at each other and they have a silent conversation together and nod.

“Why not find out hmm?” Alyanah prods the two.

“Yeah.” Marcus agrees “Arm wrestle to see who is the stronger one. It’ll be a fair fight.”

Marcus and Alyanah are egging the pair on to have a macho match to see who is stronger, it’s as if taken straight out of some old sitcom where men have to prove their manliness.

Raymond rolls his eyes as Sax walks over to a tall table and plants his elbow on top of it, inviting Ray to face him.

The silver haired man places his hands on his hips and sighs a bit, but he does walk around the counter and heads for the little tall table.

“Oh it’s on!” Marcus says loudly. Alyanah however looks around after smacking Marcus on the back of his head “Hey we’re still running a business here, don’t cause too much of a ruckus or you’ll be answering to me, got it?” she threatens with narrowed eyes.

Marcus nods and smirks at her with a wink “No worries love, I’ll make sure it doesn’t escalate too far, alright?” he promises. Alyanah has to go deal with some business, after all someone has to tend the bar and have a little chat with Switch. Switch is sat behind the counter on the floor as always. Sometimes Alyanah doesn’t notice her until Switch grabs her pants leg or skirt to get her attention.

“Just behave yourselves, and tell me who wins.” she giggles and heads back to the counter.

Raymond rolls up his shirt sleeve to his elbow and stretches his neck from side to side until a slight crack is heard. “Let’s get this over with then.” he says and places his surprisingly muscular arm on the table.

Sax is naturally big and probably has Ray beat in weight and mass, but Ray has years of using his body to the limits and pushing past those limits.

Sax’s arm is big, his hand grasps Ray’s and they tighten their grips, centering their holds and positions, getting ready for the manly battle about to take place.

Marcus walks up to them and places his hands around their clasped ones.

“Right then, betting closed. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s get ready to rumble!” Marcus cackles and squeezes their clasped hands together.

“Ready…….get set….wrestle!” and he lets go of their hands.

Instantly Sax pushes hard trying to get a fast win, but his hand moved barely two inches before coming to a dead stop. He looks over to Ray and those gold eyes stare right back, and he realizes that this will be a real fight.

They both give each other a soft nod and then it really starts.

Ray’s muscle bulge, straining the shirt sleeve more than it should have but his arm just swells more and more. Sax’s arm bulges a bit too but he doesn’t have the same kind of muscle Ray has, but he uses his weight to lean against Ray’s arm.

Marcus watches them both, his head swinging from side to side as the contenders’ faces start to turn a shade darker than normal. They push and strain against each other and almost perfectly synchronized their free hands grip the table’s edge for support, their legs take a wider stance and slowly some grunts and pants starts sounding from the two strugglers.

“Come on you two! Push!” Marcus prods them with a grin turning into a bigger smile as the two are getting into it.

Ray’s grip tightens and his arm starts pushing Sax’s back, inch after inch, leaning down towards the table surface. Sax isn’t having it and strains himself so hard that a vain in his forehead looks about ready to burst and forces their grasped hands further from the table surface.

They are starting to take too long, their faces starting to contort into straining grimaces as they are both flexing and pressing all they can to gain a win.

Marcus looks between the two and can’t hold back a laugh which only grows louder and louder. He in fact gets so loud that Alyanah comes marching over to silence him, but he points at the two armwrestling and the lady of the bar covers her mouth and goes wide eyed, then bursts out laughing.

The patrons of the bar start to look over in their direction, some even move closer for a better view, and what they are met with is a tall silver haired man in a suit squinting his eyes so hard it’d put Clint Eastwood to shame and gritting his teeth so hard it looks like he is taking a tricky crap.

Sax on the other hand has his eyes looking like they are about to pop out of his skull, bulging and bloodshot from the pressure, his cheeks puffed up and slowly exhaling, basically blowing raspberries and inhaling slow and shakily when he runs out of air.

The whole scene is just too comical and the whole bar bursts into a fit of laughter, the two contenders are unaware what’s going on around them, they are in the middle of a fierce fight!

Their faces red like strawberries, sweat dripping down on the table...which is starting to creak ever so faintly.

Ray flexes his fingers very slowly to regrasp Sax’s hand, they lock eyes and in a final spurt of power they shout and push! Raymond’s sleeve tears open, the table groans hard and suddenly they both crash to the floor along with bits and pieces of the table.

They pant hard, out of breath, strength and suddenly realizing they have a rather big audience laughing their butts off.

Raymond looks over to Sax, neither of them won, but they don’t seem too eager for a rematch.

They get up and dust themselves off, one-handed, their wrestling arms are hanging limply down their sides.

“You two alright?” Alyanah asks while wiping a tear from her eye, still smiling broad.

“Fine, just fine. Aly, can you help me with my shoulder though?” Ray asks.

Looking at him once more, she can see that his arm is hanging in a weird angle and lower than his other arm. Seems he took an awkward tumble to the floor, and his hand being gripped by Sax while falling didn’t help either. His shoulder was dislocated.

Sax lifts his arm and flexes his fingers slowly, they all crackle like an old crones talons, but he chuckles and looks over to Ray just in time to hear a horrid pop as Alyanah slammed her palm into his shoulder while holding his elbow in her other hand.

“You alright there, pal?” Sax asks in Ray’s direction, and he gets a nod, still not moving the arm much though.

“I think we can call this a draw, for now at least. We’ll find something else for you two to test your strengths against.” Marcus says before starting to herd the patrons back to their tables and drinks.

Alyanah looks at the two and shakes her head a bit, glancing between them before asking “Satisfied?”

Sax and Ray look at each other and then to Alyanah, accusingly.

“You and Marcus were the ones who set this up.” Sax exclaims.

Ray just shrugs and walks back to the counter, and a hand pops up from behind the counter with a bottle rattling with pills. Painkillers from Switch, she’s so thoughtful, so Ray takes a single pill and swallows it with a glass of whiskey. His hand reaches down to pat an unseen head but a slight laugh is heard.

“Alyanah, unless you need me to sit on him, I ask you never pit us against each other again.” Sax suggests with a panting smile, his eyes still rather red.

Alyanah snickers “Honestly you could still be stronger than him physically, but I won’t. Raymond is stronger in many ways, just not socially.” she smirks and strolls back to work.

“That’s where I come in.” Sax says so she can hear him. He twirls his mustache, strokes his beard and then goes to the counter for a drink, he needs one.

Raymond and Sax clink glasses without speaking, showing respect to each other for a battle well fought.

“You’re not getting a rematch.”

“Don’t want one.”

  
  
  


**Part VIII: The candlelight flame**

She laughs and leans into the seat on the couch “Oh you have to be kidding!” she says and places her wineglass on the table between them to not spill her drink. Her giggles stick for a minute or even two while Murdoc, across from her, only smiles.

“Yes, I am quite the joker am I not?” he replies to her with that cool demeanor of his and quirks a brow, clear sarcasm.

Alyanah sighs and smiles at him, it feels like they have been talking for hours, but at the same time it she has a nagging sense that time is playing a trick on her.

Before the clock comes properly into focus for the lady of the Noir Bar, a large man moves closer to her. Murdoc is an imposing figure, even more so as he slides into the seat right next to her.

She left her shoes on the floor after lifting her legs up into the seat to sit more comfortably and relaxed. Toes curl and her legs tighten in closer to her as she is surrounded by the tall and well-built man. She can smell his cologne, but does not recognize the fragrance, all she knows is that she likes it and would love nothing more than to nuzzle down into his chest and take a better inhale of it, of him.

Adjusting herself a little she looks up at him, he is closer than she had imagined. His breath caress’ her cheek and slides down her exposed throat and her own breath escapes her lips warmer than before.

“So where will this end, you think?” he asks, in barely a whisper for her.

“What do you mean, darling?” she asks back at him, almost stumbling into a stutter but managing to catch herself without sounding like a schoolgirl.

He leans in closer and her eyes close as his lips graze against her cheek, down her jawbone and up to her earlobe. “This...heat…” he whispers hotly. The warmth of his breath like a furnace on her bare, pale skin.

“I don-...I’m not s-sure. But I know where I want it to go…” she finally finds her tongue to form a reply.

Murdoc’s arm stretches along the back of the couch and wraps around her, pulling her body to his and just as their lips almost touch---her alarm goes off and she wakes up.

“Are you...fucking serious?”

Alyanah covers her face with her arm and sighs heavily, the bed feels damp, the air is stuffy and everything feels hot but uncomfortable, not to mention she is now horribly frustrated. That dream was just getting good.

She gets out of bed and opens the window, she forgot she had closed it due to heavy rain earlier in the day, but it is too damn hot to leave it closed.

This freaking summer heat will be the death of her, or so she thinks as she wanders in to the kitchen and gets a glass of iced water. The almost too cold water sliding into her overheating body felt strange, feeling the current sliding down her throat and all the way cooling her, all the way down to her stomach.

The bed is rumpled, sheets tossed in her sleep because of the heat most likely and so she sets it straight.

Back in bed she thinks about the dream, she wants to just get right back into where it left off. What time is it even? She glances at the clock which lies shattered at the bottom of the wall across from the bed. Who cares, she’s the boss and she needs more sleep.

But it’s too warm to fall back asleep, and all she can think about is Murdoc’s warm breath against her skin. Indulging the thought, she closes her eyes and runs a fingertip along her throat, trying to fall asleep in the mindset of the dream.

There is no chance of falling asleep like this however, it’s too warm, and she’s too hot, sweat beading on her body making her skin feel slippery. Running a hand over her chest once to feel how wet she was making the bed and she grimaces slightly but then bites her lip.

“Murdoc…” she whispers and slowly pushes the covers down her body, it is too warm to cover up anyhow. She reaches into her nightstand and finds a lighter and lights the candle on her nightstand and shuts off the lamp. Total darkness except for that one flickering candle light.

She wonders if it’s cliché to light a candle like this, but her mind is swept away by what barely feels like her own will. Murdoc’s voice pops into her thoughts “Beautiful.” he whispers deep in her mind and her body responds instantly with a rush of heat, but the good kind of heat.

Her hand slides over her chest again, feeling her bare chest, nipples are erect and she part her lips in a slight breath at the feel of her hand brushing against one of the perked buttons.

The other hand slides further down, fingertips brushing over her sweaty slick skin until she hits the fabric of her underwear.

Opening her eyes for a second to think, if she should bother with this or just actually get up.

“Don’t you dare…” Murdoc whispers, or so she convinces herself he would reply, if only he was next to her in this very bed.

The exploring fingers vanish under the dark and lace underwear covering her nethers and her head tilts back against the pillow with a light gasp.

“Murdoc..” she whispers to no one, playing out the remainder of the interrupted dream in her mind.

Imagining him lying on his side beside her, his heat overpowering her own and she lets him take her in visually. The lady, on her back, open to him to look at, to touch, to explore and even claim should he wish to.

In the far back of her mind she grows frustrated, wanting him there, not even for the whole act of her current daydream, but just to present herself in such an intimate manner. Uncertain she would have the courage to actually do so if he was though, but she wants him so bad, so bad she can feel it in her chest, in her gut and even lower.

She can sort out that later, right now she wants to enjoy her imagination, for the dream to continue.

Again she thinks of him, his big strong hands in place of her slender ones touching and searching. Another gasp escapes her parted lips, this time a little louder as her fingertips finds it. The pillow envelopes her head a little from arching herself back into it.

The candlelight flicks, and under her eyelids she catches the movement of light and lets her mind play with it. Seeing Murdoc lean down over her body, hearing him inhale her scent and feeling him exhale over her sweaty skin and feeling it wash over her and over the mounds on her chest. The two points of her chest perking all over again and she reaches her other hand to wrap her delicate fingers around it and hold her soft breast while the other hand explores further. She turns her head and holds her breath before letting it go, imagining his lips touching her stomach, traveling up her body, leaving a trail of kisses until he reaches her bust. Imagining looking down towards him and seeing those pale green eyes looking back up, those intense male eyes locked on her, only her. Breath catches slightly and accelerates in pace.

“Murdoc..” she whispers again, barely a whisper, but a moan. Touching her breast to imagine his lips claiming every inch of the curve before coming to her throat, leaning her head to the side to expose more skin, wanting him to cover her with his lips.

“Gorgeous..” he speaks huskily against her mouth before trying her very best to remember that one kiss she got on valentines day.

Her toes curl as she bites her bottom lip, her body roiling with desire, passion and pure want for this man in her mind.

Her body moves on the bed in a flowing motion, grinding mentally against a strong, large male body that isn’t even really there.

His hands are large and strong, cupping her forms, exploring her bare skin, touching, kissing and holding her. She wants him to be there, to hold her like this and kiss her. 

She gasps and follows it with an outdrawn moan, moving more and more. Her thighs rubbing against the hand pinned between while the other hand gently reaches up to cup a cheek that isn’t there to be cupped, but in her mind she is staring up at him.

Lips apart, holding her breath and staring into those wanting green eyes of Murdoc.

“Kiss me…” she gasps the words before letting the breath go, and she lets go.

Her mind crashes like a tidal wave held back, surging through her from top to curled toes and lets herself inhale sharply before letting out one long sigh, slowly.

Body more sweaty than before, hands limp at her sides and at long last she opens her eyes.

No one is there. He is not beside her.

She sighs and closes her eyes, letting herself settle before she opens them again looking at the ceiling.

“Kiss me again Murdoc…” she whispers to the room.

Her head leans to the side and she watches the candlelight flicker back and forth, her only spectator.

Reaching over to the candle, she can feel the heat from it with her fingers, then she puts out the candle with her index and thumb.

Is she falling in love with Murdoc? Is it just a physical attraction? Despite all her bravado she doesn’t know about such things, feelings. What is right or wrong, love or lust.

“Sounds like something I can’t bother thinking too much about right now…”

She falls asleep.


End file.
